Woman arrested for murder of Italian man in London

Pietro Sanna, Scotland Yard.

LONDON - Pietro Sanna, a young Sardinian man, was recently stabbed to death in his home in Ravenscroft Close, Canning Town, on the west London periphery. He was discovered at 11.40am and pronounced dead at the scene. According to Scotland Yard’s twitter, police have arrested Hasna Begum, 25, from Millwall, Greater London, with Bangladeshi origins, for the murder. She is due to appear in custody at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after being charged.

Begum is reported to be Sanna’s flatmate, and according to the investigators’ reconstruction of events, it was she who reported the stabbing on Monday, before Giomaria, Sanna’s brother who also lives in London, arrived at his home.

Inspector General Gary Holmes, who is leading the investigation, commented: "This was a brutal and vicious attack on a young man in his home.” It is thought to have caught the victim off guard, and involved a series of knives.

The motive of the stabbing remains unclear. Despite having made an arrest, Holmes stated on Wednesday that ”We are keeping an open mind as to the motive of this attack. At this early stage of the investigation, I would appeal for all witnesses and those with information concerning this fatal attack to contact the incident room as soon as possible."

The consulate general of Italy in London is remaining in "close contact" with the family members of the victim and in particular with his parents, who arrived in England on Tuesday. 

This is the third stabbing in the capital in 24 hours, with other deaths in Baxter Road in Islington and in White Horse Road. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has pledged an extra £625,000 to fund knife and gang crime projects in the city after the number of offences in London involving knives rose by 11% in 2016. 

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